Sports-related concussions (SRCs) are a major health issue in athletes of varying ages, ability levels, and sports. Concerns over the short- and long-term consequences of SRCs have incentivized a wealth of products and policies aimed at reducing SRC risk. Research suggesting the effectiveness of such interventions at reducing SRCs has facilitated their adoption by sports organizations and, in some cases, product commercialization. However, the body of SRC mitigation research is almost entirely devoid of placebo or sham groups, which raises important questions about the true clinical effectiveness of these interventions. This Current Opinion explores the plausibility of placebo effects within the scope of SRC prevention, describes why the lack of placebo/sham groups in the current body of literature is problematic, and provides recommendations for including placebo/sham groups in future SRC research.

运动相关脑震荡 （SRC） 是不同年龄、能力水平和运动项目的运动员的主要健康问题。对 SRC 短期和长期后果的担忧激发了大量旨在降低 SRC 风险的产品和政策。研究表明，此类干预措施在减少 SRC 方面的有效性促进了体育组织的采用，在某些情况下，还促进了产品的商业化。然而，SRC 缓解研究的主体几乎完全没有安慰剂或假组，这引发了关于这些干预措施的真正临床有效性的重要问题。本当前观点探讨了 SRC 预防范围内安慰剂效应的合理性，描述了为什么当前文献中缺乏安慰剂/假组是有问题的，并为在未来的 SRC 研究中包括安慰剂/假组提供了建议。